CVE-2016-1680 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in ports/SkFontHost_FreeType.cpp in Skia, as used in Google Chrome before 51.0.2704.63, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1680 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the Skia graphics library component that powers Google Chrome's rendering capabilities. This flaw exists specifically in the ports/SkFontHost_FreeType.cpp file, which handles font rendering operations through the FreeType font engine integration. The issue arises when the application attempts to access memory that has already been freed during font processing operations, creating a potential avenue for exploitation that could compromise system stability and security. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 51.0.2704.63, making it a significant concern for users running outdated browser versions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software applications. This type of flaw occurs when a program continues to reference memory locations after they have been deallocated, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation. The Skia graphics library's font handling mechanism becomes particularly susceptible during font processing operations where memory management errors can occur. Attackers can potentially trigger this condition through carefully crafted web content that forces the browser to process specific font configurations, leading to heap corruption that manifests as denial of service conditions or more severe consequences depending on the exploitation vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1680 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the heap corruption could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. While the vulnerability description indicates that remote attackers can cause denial of service through heap memory corruption, the unspecified other impacts suggest potential for privilege escalation or code execution in certain circumstances. The nature of the FreeType font engine integration means that the vulnerability could be triggered through various font-related web content including embedded fonts, custom font loading operations, or even through font rendering in print previews and other graphical operations. This makes the attack surface quite broad within web browsing contexts where font processing is common.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script-based attacks, as exploitation often involves crafting malicious web content that leverages font processing to trigger the use-after-free condition. The remediation strategy centers on updating Google Chrome to version 51.0.2704.63 or later, which includes patches addressing the memory management issues in the Skia font rendering component. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of this security update across all affected systems, particularly in environments where users may encounter untrusted web content. Additionally, implementing browser security measures such as sandboxing and content filtering can provide additional defense-in-depth layers while the update is being deployed, though these measures do not fully mitigate the underlying vulnerability.